


The Demonologists

by Fullofanxiety



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), The Conjuring (Movies)
Genre: Annabelle doll, Demonic Possession, Dolls, Ghosts, M/M, Minor Violence, Possession
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 19:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17731001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullofanxiety/pseuds/Fullofanxiety
Summary: This is a Sanders Sides Au based on The Conjuring Universe. So please, if you can not handle things like that please refrain from reading further. Warnings for each chapter will be posted in the notes.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Brief death mention, demon mention, doll mention, possession mention, haunting mention. Let me know if I missed any.

“It scares us just thinking about it.” 

“You'll probably think we're insane.”

“Try us.”

“Please, from the very beginning.” 

“Things started out small. Like a hand or leg would move or the head would turn, we even once found it in a different room!” 

“Maybe someone had a key to your apartment and was playing a trick on you.”

“That's what we originally thought. But we never found any hint or evidence that anyone was intruding.” A women on the couch glanced at her wife as she spoke. 

“So this led you to believe the doll was possessed?” 

“Yeah. Rose even got in touch with a medium who told us that a small girl around 7 named Annabelle Higgins had died in our apartment a few years ago.” 

Rose nodded before explaining further. “She was lonely and took a liking to my doll. She said all she wanted was to be friends.” 

“When we heard this, we felt really sorry for her. We're nurses, we help people. It really got to us.” 

Rose nodded along to her wife's words before taking over. “So…..” She looked at her wife. “We gave her permission to move into my doll.” 

“Wait...what?!?!?! You...gave it permission?!?!?” 

Ruby quickly jumped to defend themselves. “She said she wanted to live with us! She said that by inhabiting the doll she could live with us! So... we said yes.” 

Rose sighed. “But then, it got worse.” 

_ *Flashback* _

_ Rose laughs as she unlocks the door to their home. She opens the door and her laughter stops. Ruby also comes to a pause beside her.The two look down to see a small shred of paper with the words, “Miss me?” In red crayon. They look up and see the rag doll sitting in the hallway against the wall. The two females walk together as they approach the doll.  _

“When we came home one night, she was sitting in the hallway. But we had left her in our spare room!” 

_ The couple look down to see red crayons by the dolls’ hand. Rose hears a flickering and turns around to see their bedroom in a state of disaster. A lamp flickers on and off from its position knocked over on the floor, casting shadows over the room. Rose even spots a picture of her and her wife with the glass cracked and she lets out a horrified gasp as she takes in wobbly red crayon markings drawn all over the walls and ceiling. Another “Miss me?” Message is written on the ceiling in an erie childish hand.  _

_ As the two survey the room, the small sound of a crayon dropping gets their attention and they look down to see a lone red crayon roll across the floor towards their feet. Ruby has had enough as she quickly grabs the doll and storms out of the apartment and all the way outside to where she throws the doll in the dumpster along side the house.  _

_ Later that night, as the two slumber in their shared bed, a thundering knocking sounds at the door, effectively waking from them from their dreams. The two share a look before climbing out of bed and journeying to the door. Ruby opens the door and glances around only to find the halls empty.  _

_ However, when she looks down she finds a crumpled up piece of paper with red crayon and the same message as before. “Miss me?” She picks it up before looking around again to see if anyone was playing a cruel joke on them. She finds no one. She turns around to look at her wife to explain her findings when suddenly, the door next to Rose rattles with the thunderous knocking again. The two jump as they look at each other.  _

_ Rose gathers her courage before she grabs the doorknob and opens the door. She opens the door and lets out a small scream as she finds the doll sitting there.  _

_ *Flashback ends* _

“We are beyond terrified at this point. We have no idea what is going on or what to do to stop it?” Rose explains.

“So….can you help us?” Ruby asks as she takes her wife's hand in hers and giving a comforting squeeze. 

“Yes we can,” a man in royal reds, glittering golds, and pristine whites leans toward the couple on the couch. “But first, you have no know there is no such thing as Annabelle. There never was.” The man's amber eyes flash with seriousness as he talks to the couple. 

“Ghost don't possess such power, I believe what we have here is extremely manipulative and inhuman,” another man, dressed in deep purples and blacks with small hints of silver throughout his outfit shifts slightly. “I think you acknowledging this doll was a big mistake. Through that toy, this inhuman spirit was able to trick you.”

“You basically gave it permission to invade your life.”

“What's an inhuman spirit?” Ruby asks as she looks between the two men. 

“It's something that was never alive. It's something demonic.” 

The wives glance at each other before they ask their next question. “So….the doll was never possessed?” 

The darkly dressed man nods. “Right, it was used as a conduit. It was moved around to give the impression of possession. Demons don't possess things. They possess people.” 

“It wanted to get inside of you,” the other explained. 

The couple looked at each other. 

“You can shut it down now, Toby.” 

The lights flicker back on as the screen goes dark, the last image having been of the female couple. 

The lecture room full of students all shift as two men, one in bright colors like red, white and gold, and the other contrasting with dark purples, blacks and accents of silver turn to address their class again. 

“So, we get to the church and send the priest over to perform a blessing on the house and its occupants to ensure that whatever was oppressing them was no longer with them.” The man with amber eyes explained. 

“Any questions?” the other asks their audience. He points to one of the people in the back row. 

“Where's the doll now?” 

The two men share a glance. “It's safe,” the man in mostly red and white answers. He then points to someone in the front row off to the left. 

“So, what exactly are you guys? I mean, what do people call you?” 

The darker skinned man moves to rest his chin on the man in blacks and purples as the other answers. “Uh..well, we've been called demonologists, that's one name for us. Ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, paranormal researchers…” 

“Cucks,” the man in red pipes up. The class lets out a laugh. 

“Whackos.”

Another round of giggles before the man in darker colors moves away from the other. “But we prefered to be known as simply Roman and Virgil Warren.”

\-----

A car drives up a long dirt road until it stops in front of an old two story farmhouse surrounded by trees with a big tree standing by the lake. Behind the car, a moving truck stops as the family gets out. “Here we are,” a man with slicked back jet black hair says as he looks up at the house they have just bought. 

“Wow!” A bubbly man says as he steps out of the passenger seat. He wears a light blue polo with light brown khaki pants and a light grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. “You hear that?” He asks his husband. 

The other man turns to him. “I do not hear anything,” he responds as he raises an eyebrow at him.

The other man grins, his blue eyes sparkling behind his round glasses. “Exactly!” He exclaims. “No city noises to keep us up at night!” 

His husband chuckles as he closes the driver's door. The two get up and walk to the front of the door, and crossing the threshold of their new home.  As they stand on the porch, their children came up out of the car, most of them excited to start their new life. 

The twins, Jericho and Apollo ran past yelling, “We call dibs on the big room!” 

The youngest, Dante raced through the doorway as he shouted back at the remaining children, “I'll race ya!” His dad's chuckled as they watched their children all excited to pick out their rooms in the big house. Then Kai and Emile walked through the door, one with awe and the other scrolling through their phone. 

“Do I get to pick my own room or do I not have a choice about that either?” Elliot asked as they stopped just before entering their new home.

The two parents chuckled as their children walked past before the bubbly one turned to the other who straightened his tie quickly. “Oh they’ll forget about Florida with the first crush they meet,” he said cheerily.

“Oh, I can't wait,” the other said as he pulled his husband into his embrace, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

The man in a blue polo smiled wide before wrapping his arms around his husband's neck and pushing himself up on his tiptoes and kissing his love's lips. “I love you Logan.” 

The other smiled. “I love you too Patton.” 

This was a new start for them. And they were excited to see what came next. 


	2. A Taste of Things to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan, Patton and their children are moving into their new house and discover some new things. Roman has an interview with a college student when they bring up an incident with his husband Virgil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: animal death, mentions of demonic things, curses, the paranormal and bruises. Also seemingly "innocent" Patton. Please let me know if I missed any.

The house bustles with activity as the family moves their things into the various rooms and settles into their new lives. “Pa? Where's my wind chime?” Apollo asks his bubbly dad as while racing into the kitchen. 

Patton reaches into a box next to him and pulls out a colorful wind chime before turning around and handing it to his son. “Here you go, Kiddo. You can even hang it up out on the porch.” 

“Thanks Pa!” Apollo exclaims and turns to go out the backdoor before being stopped by Patton. 

“Please, ask Dante to come in?” 

“Okay!” The caramel colored skinned boy calls as he races outside. He walks past the porch swing and quickly hangs the decoration up before turning to find his little brother sitting among the roots of the big tree down by the lake. “Hey Dante! Pa wants you inside!” He calls before turning to go back inside the house. 

Dante looks up from where he sits, he turns back to the new toy he found. A music box with a circular mirror set in the lid that spins around while the music plays. He turns the key and a haunting melody drifts through the air as he watches the mirror turn. Suddenly, the music stops and he sees a boy his age appear behind him in the mirror. He quickly turns only to find nothing there. He shrugs his shoulders before getting up and running into the house carrying his new found toy. 

\----

Logan carries an empty pizza box through the hallway as the children run through the house. “Are you all done with the pizza? I do not want it to go to waste. It is expensive feeding you children,” he calls as he moves to throw the trash away. 

The children ignore him as they engage in a game together. “Ready or not! Here I come! First clap!” Kai calls as they stop their spinning and sticks their hand out to keep from running into stuff. 

Patton walked up the stairs with a box in his arms. “I really don't think you kids should be playing that game right now. You don't know the house well enough. Someone could get hurt.” 

Just as Patton stops talking, Kai runs into a stack of boxes. “I'm okay! I'm okay!” They shout as they continue to move down the hallway. “Second clap!” They shout. 

Patton smiles fondly at his kids as they continue their game. He watches as Apollo withholds a clap as their blindfolded sibling walked by. “That's cheating,” he mouths. Apollo only puts a finger to his lips as Kai walks by. 

“Clap!” Kai calls as their brother Jericho claps. Kai jumps forward causing Jericho to jump as they shout, “Gotcha!” Jericho accidentally knocks into the wall and a board gives way, tumbling down what sounds like a set of stairs. 

The two children back away, as Logan runs up. “What did you break?” He asks as he pushes into the closet and turns the light on. 

“It was Jericho's fault!” Kai exclaims as they back away. 

Jericho spins to face his sibling, “My fault?!?!” He exclaims as Patton pushes past them to see what was going on. 

“Oh goodness!” Patton exclaims as he sees the hole where a board had fallen. 

“Kai did it!” Jericho shouted. 

“No I didn't!”

“You pushed me!” 

“Hey Apollo, can you get me some matches, please?” Logan asked as he fumbled with the other boards.    
“What is it, Logan?” Patton asked as he watched his husband move some more boards out of the way, slowly making a space big enough for him to fit through. 

Logan frowned as he reached his arm in and stretched only to hit nothing but air straight ahead and a small ledge a little bit down. “I think we have a cellar or something,” he explained as Apollo ran in with a pack of matches. 

“Oo! I wanna see!” Kai exclaimed as their older brother, Emile, peaked around the corner.    
Logan leaned back and took the matches from Apollo. “Thank you,” he replied as he stepped through the hole in the wall. He placed his right hand on the wall to guide him as he took small, cautious steps down a set of stairs. Each step he took brought him further away from the light spilling through the gap and deeper into the midnight darkness. Soon he felt a difference in the surface he was stepping on and slid his foot out further to confirm his theory. He had hit the bottom. He carefully took out a match and struck it against the box. A small flame lit up the room just enough to make out various different shapes. 

On the other side of the hole, Patton moved the children further away while he moved closer. “Logan?” He called. After a few moments of silence, the children having finally stopped talking excitedly, he called again. “What do you see down there?” 

In the dark basement, Logan adjusted his black, rectangular framed glasses. “It is a little hard to tell but it appears to be an old piano and a bunch of other junk.” The match burnt down and slightly burnt Logan's fingers. “Son of a-”   
“Lo?” Patton called worriedly. He leaned forward as he held his breath, waiting for his husband to give any sign that he was okay. 

“I don't want any of you children going down there. There are a multitude of spiders and who knows what down there.” Logan explained as he stepped through the gap. 

The children all groaned, bored, and shuffled off to find something else entertaining while Patton helped Logan up. 

“It seems we have extra square footage. I shall check it out in the morning.” 

Patton nodded as Logan turned the light off and shut the door. “I wonder why it was boarded up?”    
Logan nodded as his face twisted into a puzzled expression. “Yes, I was wondering that too. Perhaps there was an issue with something that they had to resolve.” 

That didn't make any sense to Patton, but he let his husband theorize as he went to get the children to bed. 

\-----

Patton stared out the window at their new home as Logan cleaned up. “I am quite exhausted,” Logan complained as he walked over to Patton and wrapped his arms around his husband. Patton smiled softly as he leaned back into his embrace. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for making all this work. I know its a lot to pay off and-” 

Logan shushed Patton. “Hey, none of that. This is going to be great. So long as you and the kids are happy, it's worth it,” Logan whispered in Patton's ear as the two looked out over the yard. 

Patton giggled. “I didn't know you were so romantic,” he teased. Logan rolled his eyes before leaning in to press a kiss to Patton's cheek. The giggling man smirked and turned to whisper something into his husband's ear. Logan blushed a red as deep as a rose all the way to his ears. He leaned back to stare at his “innocent” husband. “I suppose I'm not that exhausted,” he murmured. 

\-----

Patton shifted in his bed before getting up and scratching at his leg. He frowned as he noticed a small black and blue bruise on his ankle. He wondered thoughtfully to himself before realizing just how cold it was in the room. Frowning, he got up and pulled on a robe and slipping into a pair of slippers and walking out into the hallway. He glanced around at the walls and noticed just how dark and grey they were. Really dreary. They'd have to get some paint. 

“Pa!” Apollo cried as he noticed his dad in the hallway. 

Patton smiled softly at his son and saw Jericho sit up in his bed beside his twin as he looked at the two through the open doorway. “How'd you guys sleep?” 

“It's cold.” Kai complained from their room, the open bedroom door definitely wasn't helping any. 

Patton nodded slightly. “It is a bit chilly, isn't it?” He turned at the sound of the bathroom door opening to the right of the hall and saw Emile lean out in a pair of  _ Steven Universe  _ pjs. “Um, Dad?” He asked as he moved his toothbrush away from his mouth. “The toilet isn't really working.”

Patton frowned slightly. “Oh, well I'll let your father know.” 

“And there was a funky smell in my room last night. It smelled like someone died.” 

Patton's frown deepened. “Is it still there?” 

Emile shook his head.    
“Well, I guess that means problem solved. But let me know if it comes back, okay?” 

Emile nodded and went back to brushing his teeth as Patton walked down the stairs, tying his robe. When he got to the bottom he glanced up at the old grandfather clock and frowned. The hands were stuck at 3:07. “That's weird,” Patton whispered to himself as he adjusted his wire-framed circular glasses. He turned to go to the kitchen and noticed the door to the closet/newfound cellar opened. He wandered over to it and noticed the boards were all gone leaving a doorway and stairs descending down into a lit basement. “Logan?” Patton called as he walked down the stairs to find his husband standing among loads of old furniture and junk with his hands on his hips. “Morning Lo.”

“Morning Pat.” 

Patton moved over to stand next to his husband and looked around at the things piled up. “Oh goodness gracious this is a lot of stuff. What are we going to do with all of this?”    
Logan shrugged. “We have to go through it. Maybe we could sell the stuff we don't need. Some of these things might be antiques and are worth a lot of money.” 

Patton nodded. “But it could also just be sentimental things that the previous owners didn't want.”

Logan nodded as he moved to look through a few of the piles. “Either way it's ours now.”    
Patton smiled softly as he watched his husband. “I'm going to go make some more coffee. I'm sure you've already drank a pot already.” 

Logan rolled eyes at his husbands teasing. “Yeah yeah. I'll be up in a minute.”    
“Oh! And see if you can get the furnace working! It's freezing!” Patton exclaimed as he moved back up the stairs and into the kitchen, preparing another pot of coffee. As he filled the coffee pot with water, he stared out at the slightly deary yard, still not completely awake yet. Once the pot was filled, Patton turned the water off as he eyes shifted over to the small clock right on shelf beside the window. He frowned slightly as he read the numbers 3:07. 

“Pa!” Patton turned around at the sound of the pitter patter of child footsteps to find his youngest, Dante running into the kitchen in his green and yellow snake onesie. 

“Good morning, Dee!” Patton exclaimed happily as his son ram into his arms. Patton pulled Dante up into his arms and pressed multiple kisses to the giggling little child's face as shrieks of laughter bounced off the wall. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Put me down!” Dante screeched happily as he squirmed to try and avoid the assault of kisses. Patton carefully set him down after a little bit and turned to finish setting up the coffee pot. “Can I help make breakfast?” he asked as watched. 

“Of course you can! Just go get changed first, we don't want to get your pjs getting dirty.”

“Okay!” Dante exclaimed before he turned and raced up the stairs. 

“Don't run up the stairs!” Logan called as he walked past him and into the kitchen. Patton smiled softly at the scene as his heart swelled with love. Then he shook his head before addressing his husband.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?” The other replied as he stepped forward to get his coffee mug. 

“This clock, and the one in the hallway both stopped at 3:07.”   
Logan frowned as he waited for his coffee to brew. “That is unusual. Perhaps it got knocked around in the move.”

Patton hummed thoughtfully before he remembered something. “Speaking of, what did you do to me last night?” He asked as he rolled up one of his pant legs to reveal a dark blue and black bruise. 

Logan frowned as he inspected the mark on his husbands leg. “That does not look pleasant. However, I didn't do that.”   
Patton let out a frustrated sigh. “I wish I knew what happened. But it seems I'm a clumsy sleeper as well.”    
Logan chuckled lightly as he grabbed the pot of coffee to pour some into his cup. Patton let his pant leg drop as he moved to pull out the ingredients for breakfast. Then, a loud noise sounded from the side of the house causing the two to jump. Logan raised an eyebrow at his husband as he set his mug down and the two rushed outside to see what hit their house. 

Once outside, the two saw a pigeon writhing in agony on the ground as it twitched slightly before going limp, its neck laying at an awkward angle as the two came to the conclusion that it must have broken its neck when it hit the house. “Logan….” Patton breathed as he put a hand to his mouth, his eyes shining with tears. 

Logan turned to wrap his husband in a hug, pushing Patton's face into his chest to hide the poor animals corpse from his love's eyes. “It's okay Patton. It didn't suffer long,” he whispered into the others fluffy brown hair. Logan rubbed Patton's back as he moved them back inside the house and away from the bird. Logan loved his husband, he really did. And he really wished he had the foresight to tell Patton to stay in the house. His husband had a big heart after all, and even if it was the smallest of frogs, Patton's heart would break to see it in pain. 

Logan frowned slightly as he watched Patton pull himself together moments before their son ran into the room. A fake smile holding up his lips. Logan really hoped nothing like this would happen again, and if they did, that Patton didn't have to see it. He dealt with it enough at work. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. At least, not at home. 

\----   
Talyn walked through the small room filled with shelves and cases as they examined the artifacts everywhere. They turned back to their host, a man with deep caramel colored skin as smooth as velvet and fluffy dark brown hair.

“We keep everything locked up in here,” he explained, pocketing the keys as the two moved around the room. Talyn leaned down slightly to far a closer look at some of the things on a lower shelf. “Feel free to look around, just don't touch anything. Seriously.” Talyn stood up and glanced around as they moved their orange colored hair out of their eyes. “Wow,” they breathed out as they held their pencil and notepad tighter in their hands. “This is….crazy.” They glanced around at the things everywhere. Some things were limited edition type things while others were everyday things you would find in almost any home. “So...Mr. Warren, these were all taken from different cases that you've both investigated?” Talyn asked as they glanced around at all the objects, Joan was going to freak when they heard about this. 

Roman nodded as he glanced around. “Please, call me Roman. And yup. That's right. Everything you see in this room has been either cursed, haunted, or used in a ritualistic practice of some kind. Nothing in here is a toy.” 

Talyn bent down a little to inspect a small toy. Roman bent down on the opposite side of the shelf as he smiled at the toy Talyn was inspecting. “Not even the toy monkey.” 

Talyn nodded as they stood and glanced around, a bit apprehensive at the items, sure that if they even tried to touch one Roman would immediately yell at them. But they knew that he probably had good reason for it. “Isn't it scary to have all they items in your home? Doesn't it worry you?” They asked as they scribbled on their tablet. 

“Well that's why we get a priest to come by once every month to bless the room.” Roman watched as Talyn scribbled his answer down. “The way Virgil and I see it, what we're doing here, it's almost like we're keeping guns off the streets. It's safer for these objects to be locked up in here than to he out there. We wouldn't want something like this to fall into some poor souls hands and them being unprepared and getting hurt.”    
Talyn frowned slightly. They glanced up at the other. “Well, why can't you just throw them in an incinerator? Destroy it.” 

Roman shook his head. “Destroy it? Oh, no. That would only destroy the vessel. Doing that would be like, setting the genie free. And sometimes it's better to keep the evil genie in the bottle.” 

Talyn nodded as they quickly jotted that down. Once they were finished, they looked up and worked up the courage to ask their next question. If Roman acted so concerned about these other items, then they could only imagine how he would react to their next question. “Is the-” they cleared their throat. “Is the Annabelle doll here?”    
Roman nodded as they walked over to the back of the room to a glass case that held the haunted Raggedy Ann doll inside. It looked exactly how you expected it to. Completely unassuming and almost...cuddly. But for anyone who heard the stories, they knew what it really was, and they knew the darkness that consumed it. “Right this way.”

Talyn took a few moments to study the doll, a sense of dread filling their stomach as they turned away, unable to look at it for too long out of fear. “So, you said she was a conduit?” They asked. 

Roman nodded. “Yup.”

“What exactly does that mean?” 

Roman crossed his arms as he got comfortable, or as comfortable as one could get in a room filled with haunted objects. “Well, a very, very powerful demon has latched itself on to her. It goes wherever the doll goes.”

Talyn nodded. “So...when you both are investigating these hauntings,” Roman nodded. “How do you stop it from latching on to you?”

“Well, we have to take great precautions.”

Talyn frowned, hoping they weren't overstepping their boundaries by asking this question. “But what about your husband, Virgil?”    
Roman shifted on his feet, suddenly feeling very defensive. “What about him?” 

Talyn winced slightly but continued. “Um, Father Gordon told me-” 

Roman cut them off, knowing exactly what they were going to say. And what they were talking about. “What happened to Virgil, happened during an exorcism. Not all hauntings involve an exorcism.”   
Talyn's eyebrows knitted together. “So there's a difference?” 

Roman went to respond before a small sound made them both start. Roman frowned as he rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Please, excuse me for a moment.” Then he moved past Talyn and found a small child in an Batman onesie hiding behind one of the shelves. Roman frowned. “Thomas, what are you doing?” Roman bent down to pick up his son. “You know better than to come in here.” Roman moved over to the doorway and called for his mother-in-law. “Mom!” He turned back to Thomas. “You didn't touch anything, right?” 

Thomas shook his head, his mop of brown hair falling over his eyes. “No.” 

Roman smiled fondly at his son. “Good.” He brushed the hair out of his face as he waited for his mother-in-law to come. “Remember, you're not allowed in this room, no matter what.”

Thomas nodded guilty. “Yes, Papa.” 

Roman sighed. Virgil's mother came in and plucked Thomas from Roman's arms. “Hello little one! Let's go make some cookies!” Roman shut the door as the two went off and turned back to the interview with the college student, Talyn. 

\---

Roman walked into the living room to find his husband and their son sitting in the wooden rocker in corner laughing as Virgil finished up painting a rainbow on Thomas's face. “Hey!” Virgil exclaimed as he noticed his husband behind him. 

Roman smiled as he walked up to sit across from the two with a dark purple tea cup and saucer. “What have you two been up to?” He asked as he sat down. 

Thomas giggled as Virgil set the paintbrush in his hand down. “Daddy is painting a rainbow on my face!” 

Roman laughed as Thomas grinned brightly, his little face losing with pure joy. “I see that! You look so colorful!” 

Virgil smiled warmly as Thomas hopped up from his chair. “It's time to get ready for dinner, we're going on a picnic.”

Thomas smiled. “Yay! He exclaimed. “I'm not washing off the paint!” He cried as he raced to get some warmer clothes. 

Virgil laughed as he rolled his eyes. He didn't really mind. It wasn't like they were going somewhere fancy, they were just going outside to the backyard and eating some pizza. 

Roman leaned forward and handed the tea to Virgil. “Here you go, love.” 

Virgil blushed as he took the teacup from his husband. It didn't matter how many times Roman had called him that, he still found himself turning bright red at the completely love filled tone and name. “So, how'd it go?” He asked as he leaned back in his chair. 

“I think it may be a positive article.”

Virgil raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “Ooh! A non-skeptic!” 

Roman chuckled. “I'd be a pleasant change.” 

Virgil nodded as he watched his husband pull at his crimson red dress shirt. Virgil watched as Roman looked anywhere but him, as he played with a small charm on his bracelet. Virgil knew that look. “Stop blaming yourself, Ro. It wasn't your fault.” 

Roman didn't look at him, he just looked down at his hands. Virgil let out am inaudible sigh and pulled the cup to his lips and took a sip before wrinkling his nose. Roman glanced up and noticed his husbands face and smiled softly. “Not enough sugar?” He asked softly. 

Virgil nodded. “I need my tea to be as sweet. Really sweet.” 

Roman grinned as he took the cup from the other. “So almost as sweet as you, got it!” Virgil's laughter rung in his ears as he went to get more sugar. Once out of his loves sight, he let a small frown pull at his lips.  _ I can't stop blaming myself.  _ He thought as he moved into the kitchen.  _ I shouldn't have let you get in harm's way.  _ As Roman poured more sugar into the cup and stirred, he set his jaw determinedly.  _ And I will Never let you in harm's way again.  _   
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that. Let me know what you think?


	3. The Activity Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: supernatural stuff, please let me know if I missed any

Inside the old farmhouse, everyone was asleep as the clocks chimed three. At the bottom of the stairs, the old grandfather clock ticked away ominously, as if something not quite right was coming. It continued to tick until it hit 3:07 and then it stopped. Not a sound coming from the old clock just an unnerving silence that seemed to hint at impending doom. 

Upstairs, in the twins’ room, Jericho felt something pull his foot in his sleep, causing him to jerk awake. He yanked his foot underneath the covers as he groaned. “It's not funny, Apollo.”

“What?” Apollo asked sleepily as he shifted in his bed, the house still eerily cold. 

“Stop grabbing my foot!” 

Apollo frowned as he pulled the covers tighter against himself. “Shut up! I didn't touch your foot!”

“Yeah right,” Jericho mumbled as he turned over. “And stop farting, it stinks.”

Apollo rolled his eyes as he felt sleep pull at his consciousness. “Don't blame it on me,” he yawned. “It's probably you.”    
Downstairs, the static of the t.v. bounced off the walls of the living room before a thudding woke Logan who had fallen asleep at his desk. He stood up and glanced around as he turned the t.v. off. Making his way into the hallway, he glanced down the hall and watched as the door at the end of the hall slowly creak open, the sound sending chills down his spine. He walked quickly to the doorway and saw nobody. Nothing out of the ordinary here. However, he did notice that the one window in the kitchen was open, blowing the curtains slightly. The logical man concluded that the wind was the reason as to why the door moved, his sleep-riddled brain not even thinking it weird that the door had opened against the wind. 

The thudding sounded again, causing Logan's head to jerk up. The sound thudded throughout the house, the source seeming to come from upstairs. Logan quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs. When he whipped around the railing to go upstairs, he looked up to see Elliot on the stairs and stopped. “Dad?” They whispered groggily. 

Logan frowned. “Elliot? What are doing out of bed? And do you know what that sound is?” 

Elliot rubbed their eyes as they yawned. “It's Kai, they're in my room. They're sleeping walking again.” 

Logan frowned. “Again?” As Elliot nodded, the two made their way up the stairs and into the younger's room to find Kai standing in front if the wardrobe and banging their head against the doors, creating the thumping noise from earlier.    
“I've never seen them do this,” Elliot explained as Logan moved over to Kai and placed his hand in front of their forehead to stop them from continuing to bang it on the doors. “I remember you telling us not to wake them if they're like this.”

Logan nodded as he slowly guided the child away from the wardrobe. “Yeah. You just gotta put them back to bed.” Logan moved Kai out of the room as Elliot watched on. “They'll be okay. Good night, Elliot.”

“Night,” Elliot called before shutting their door and climbing back into bed, a little unnerved about the strange encounter. 

\----

Patton frowned as he filled the bathtub with warm water. “Kai's sleepwalking again? It's been a while.”

Logan nodded as he got ready to go to work. It was still early enough that the sun wasn't up yet, the two having a bit of time to themselves before Logan left and Patton had to get the kids up for school. “Yeah, they ended up in Elliot's room. It kinda freaked them out.” 

Patton frowned as he turned off the faucet and felt the water to make sure it was warm enough. “That's not good. What do you think we are going to do?”

Logan went to answer as Patton pulled off his shirt, getting ready to soak in the tub for a little before starting breakfast. “I don't-” he stopped as he noticed a bruise on his husband's arm. “Oh no, hun, you've got another bruise.” He lightly placed his fingertips on the skin as he Patton moved his head to look at the arm with a frown. “Does it hurt?”     
Patton shook his head as he examined the discolored skin. “This is weird.”

Logan nodded as he adjusted his glasses. “Yeah. I suggest going to the doctor's and seeing if they have any more knowledge on it.”

Patton sighed but nodded. “Alright. Drive safe.” 

Logan pressed a kiss to Patton's lips. “I will. I love you, more than there are stars in the sky.”    
“I love you more than their are animals in the world.” And with that, Logan left and Patton got in the tub for a few minutes before he had to start breakfast. 

\----

“Love you! Bye!” Patton called as most of his children ran to get on the bus, leaving him with only the youngest, Dante. Patton smiled as he turned and walked back inside to go find the little one. He pulled on his cardigan, shivering slightly. He heard Dante's voice ring out from upstairs. 

Patton smiled. He had the whole day to be able to spend with his youngest before his work vacation was over. 

He climbed up the stairs, following the little voice to his room where he glanced in and saw Dante sitting as his little set of table and chairs. “Yeah, I miss my old friends a lot. But you're my friend, right?” Patton furrowed his eyebrows, watching as his son interacted what must have been an imaginary friend. 

“Who are you talking to?” Patton asked as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.    
“Rory,” Dante answered as he watched Patton walk into the room with a smile. 

“Rory?”

“She's my new friend!” Dante explained as he smiled brightly. 

“Oh really?” Patton asked as Dante nodded excitedly. 

“Yeah! Do you wanna see her!”

“Sure, kiddo! How?” Patton asked, excited that his son wanted to introduce him to his imaginary friend. Dante patted one of his chairs and gestured for Patton to sit down. Patton sat down as his son handed him a small music box with a circular mirror in the lid. 

“With this,” Dante explained. “When the music stops you see her standing behind you in the mirror. But you have to twist the key.” 

“Okay,” Patton turned the key and the music began to play. It was a slow and slightly creepy tune. Patton watched as the mirror spun around slowly as he waited for the music to stop. It stopped and he inspected the mirror with a frown and not seeing anything. He turned to Dante. “Well, I guess Rory doesn't wanna see me,” he told his son. In all honesty, he's glad he didn't see anything. It would've frightened him. He was already a little unsettled that Dante seemed had found this music box that involved a ritual type thing to see his new friend. Almost like summoning. But the bubbly man pushed down his fears.    
“Oh, well,” Dante shrugged before getting excited. “Can we play hide and clap?”    
Patton watched as Dante jumped up and down beside him. He giggled. “Of course, honey.” Dante squeals excitedly before grabbing the blindfold and tying it around Patton's eyes after he takes his glasses off. 

“Remember, you get to ask me for three claps.” 

Patton giggled as Dante tied the blindfold and stepped back. He began spinning as he counted. “One. Two. Three.” 

“I'm gonna go hide now!” Dante called as he raced out of the room to hide. 

“Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.” Patton stopped spinning as he attempted to catch his bearings. “First clap!” A clap sounded from a distance and Patron carefully moved forward as he put his hands out in front of him. Once out in the hallway, he called out for the second clap. “Second clap.” Patton smiled as he heard one from the room next to him. He carefully made his way inside. “Dante…I know where you're hiding.” Behind Patton, the doors to the wardrobe opened. “Give me the third clap.” A pair of hands pushed out of the clothes and clapped. Patton whirled around with a wide grin. “I'm gonna get you now!” As he slowly made his way to the wardrobe, he caught on to the sound of breathing. “I can hear your breathing.” Patton shoved his hands into the wardrobe in an attempt to touch Dante only to find nothing but limp clothes and wood. He frowned. “Dante?” After searching the whole wardrobe, he ripped off his blindfold and put his glasses on and shoved clothes aside only to find the area empty. “Dante?” 

“You took your blindfold off! I win! You weren't even close, Dad! I was in Apollo and Jer-Jericho's room!” Patton jumped and spun around to find Dante bouncing up and down in the doorway to the bedroom. A horrified expression passed across Patton's as he turned back to the wardrobe and searched through it only to find nothing but clothes and the back of the space. It was empty of any living being. Patton closed the doors and turned back to his child. 

“...Dante, how would you like to come to the vet with daddy and see the kitty cats?” 

Dante smiled as Patton closed the door to the room and turned, picking him up before going down the stairs to the kitchen. “Yeah! Let's go!” 

Patton forced a smile on his face as he hurried to get the keys and their coats. He was scared, terrified. He could have sworn he had heard a clap coming from the wardrobe. He wasn't sure, but he was most definitely getting out of the house until Logan came home, or at least the other kids. As Patton and Dante got in the car, the thought came to him that he was overreacting and no one was in the house and it was just all part of his imagination. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  _ Everything is okay. There is nothing in the house. It was just my imagination. I could be having hearing problems. Nothing was there. There was nothing in the closet. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.  _ He opened his eyes and stared at the house intently. He turned to face Dante in the backseat. "Alright, let's go see those kitties." 

"Kitties!" Dante cried out happily. Patton smiled fondly before turning the car on and backing out of the driveway. With one last look at the house he pulled out and onto the road on the way to his place of work to spend some times with the kitty cats. And if he saw a fleeting glimpse of something in the upstairs bedroom window, he said nothing of it. 

\-------

Patton peered into Logan's study as his husband spoke on the phone. "Of course, sir. I will be sure to do that. Thank you. Have a nice evening." Logan hung up with a weary with as he leaned back in his chair, Patton coming up behind him to wrap his arms loosely around his shoulders as he rested his head next to his.

"When do you have to leave?" 

Logan sighed as he rubbed Patton's arms. "Tomorrow. It's a week trip." 

Patton closed his eyes and hummed. A week without his husband. It wasn't like this hasn't happened before. But he was still uneasy about the scary event that happened a few weeks ago. And ever since then, he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that someone was watching him as he went about his business. The only reprieve he had of these feelings was when he went to work. And even then, the prospect of returning home to those invisible eyes was hanging over him like a dark cloud. This, he did not say out loud. Instead, "We'll get through it. We always do."

Logan let a small smile grace his lips and he took one of Patton's hands and pressed his lips to it. "We will. Thank you, honey." 

Patton smiled softly. "I love you." 

"I love you too." 

\-------

"Stop Apollo," Jericho groaned. "It's not funny anymore. I'm trying to sleep." 

"I'm not doing anything." Apollo rolled his eyes as he shifted in bed. 

"Stop grabbing my feet." 

"I'm not!" Apollo groaned as he rolled over. 

Jericho scoffed and pulled the blankets up around his shoulders. Seconds later, the fabric was yanked from his hands. He sat up, ready to tell at his brother when he heard something under his bed. Fear pierced at his heart as he leaned over, looking under the bed only to find it empty. The door creaked. Sitting up, he turned his head towards the open door, light streaming in through the doorway. His eyes fixated on the area behind the door. It was dark. Really dark. And it was black. Blacker than the darkest night sky. It terrified him. "Apollo," he whispered, his lips barely moving as he dared to call for his brother. "Apollo."

Apollo groaned and sat up, covers falling off his shoulder, a cold draft hitting the clothed skin. "What is it Jericho?" He looked at his brother only to find the other frozen in place, his face a mixture of fear and dread. "Jericho?" He followed his brothers line of sight to see him staring at the darkened space behind the door. Frowning, he climbed out of bed and made his way over to the door on bare feet. 

"Apollo?" Jericho called. "What are you doing?" 

Apollo searched the area as best as he could in the black shadows of the night. Finding nothing, he turned back to his brother. "Are you alright?" 

"You don't see it?" He asked, horrified. 

A worry line appeared on his forehead as he watched his brother. "See what?" What do you see?" 

Jericho gulped. "There's someone behind the door." 

Apollo's eyes widened hysterically wide. "What?" 

"There is someone, standing behind you." 

Something cold pricked at Apollo's neck as he froze. Ever so slowly, he turned around. Cautiously shoving his hand forward, he hit nothing but cold, still air. He let out a sigh of relief, silently scolding himself for becoming so worked up. "There's nothing the-" BAM! The door slammed shut, plunging the room into darkness. The two teens screamed. 

Footsteps thundered toward the room, the door flying open to find Apollo and Jericho holding onto each other in the corner of the room farthest from the door, their faces white as milk.

Patton rushed to their sides as Logan flipped the light on and glanced around the room. After making sure the children were okay he spoke. "What's going on in here?" Despite his stern voice, there was an underlying tone of worry in his voice. 

Patton rubbed his son's backs as they sobbed. After a few minutes they had gotten a hold of themselves enough to talk. 

"There was someone in here!" Apollo cried out. 

"Behind the door!" 

Logan checked behind the door as Patton felt his heart leap into his throat.  _ Someone was in here?  _ It reminded him of his first day in the house alone with Dante. When they were playing hide and go clap. 

Logan frowned. "There's nothing in here." 

Apollo and Jericho cried out together. "No no no. There was. There was somebody in here!" 

"They grabbed my foot and yanked covers and woke me up! I thought it was Apollo but it wasn't!"

Apollo nodded vigorously as His brother talked, tears streaming down their faces. 

Patton pressed a kiss to their foreheads. "I'm sure it was just a bad dream, kiddos." 

Apollo and Jericho jerked upright. "No! It wasn't! We ran over here when the door slammed shut and it followed!" 

"It talked to us!" They choked out. "It says it wants-"

"-our family dead!" They sobbed, finishing each other's sentences. Patton and Logan shared a horrified look as their other children watched from the hallway, a dark cloud of oppression hovered heavily over the family. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	4. Things Get Real But Don't Worry, The Warrens Are Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: brief illusion to sex, religion and mentions of God, fake haunting, bruising, poltergeist activity, being locked in a basement, brief mentions of injury, matches, sleep walking, demonic woman, terrified family, mentions of sleepless nights, mentions of previous possession and torture and molestation (very breifly mentioned) upside down cross, tearing blood, mentions of exorcism, mentions of previous attempted murder and suicide, explanation of demonic infestation, PLEASE let me know if I missed any. Most of these warnings are very briefly mentioned but I just wanted to be safe.

Roman smiled as he walked outside with a coat hanging over his arm. His husband and child were playing with the chickens as his mother-in-law fed them. Virgil was smiling as their son, Thomas grabbed a handful of food and tossed it on dry grass for the birds. Virgil looked up and noticed his husband. He smiled and stood, walking over to him, "Where are you going?" He asked. 

"Oh, just going to the store to pick up a few things," he answered and hoped his small acting career paid off. 

Virgil sighed. "Roman, in all the years we've been married, have you ever been able to lie to me?" 

Roman closed his eyes with a resigned sigh, his lips twitched up in an almost fond smile for his husband. "Well, Father Gordon called and said he's got a case that he's like us to check out." 

"And you told him you'd check it out yourself, didn't you?" 

Roman lowered his head slightly, knowing what was coming. "Yeah."

Virgil shook his head with a sigh. "I'm coming with you."

Roman shook his head firmly. "No, Virgil-" 

Virgil stood in front of his husband, staring him down with his icy blue colored eyes, a glint of determination. Roman knew his husband's mind was set. And he knew it would take a miracle to change it. "I know, Roman. Okay? I know you're worried it's gonna happen again." 

Roman nodded, trying to stand his ground. "I am! I'm really worried about it! Virgil, please-" Virgil shook his head gently and placed his hands on Roman's shoulders. Roman shook his head. Trying to keep is resolve. "Maybe it's time we take a break. Write that book we were talking about." 

Virgil took Roman's face in his hands, forcing his husband to look at him. "Ro? Do you remember what you said to me on our wedding night?" 

Roman gave a suave smirk, "Can we do it again?" 

Virgil rolled his eyes, fighting the smile working its way onto his face. "No, Roman. After that." Virgil took a deep breath, it always did take a lot for him to say sappy stuff. "You said that God brought us together for a reason, yeah?" Roman nodded. Virgil smiled at him fondly. "I'm pretty sure its not to write a book." 

Roman let out a breath, finally surrendering. "Yeah. I guess."

Virgil pressed a quick kiss to Roman's cheek. "I'm gonna go get dressed." 

\--------

Virgil stood with a young man and women, the two were roommates who were experiencing terrifying disturbing noises throughout their home. "We've isolated the disturbances to the attic." The two people listened and glanced around the dark attic as they waited for something to jump out at them. "If you could just listen for a second," 

A deep groaning noise sounded throughout the room. 

"That's it!" Valerie gasped.

Virgil smiled and nodded. "Do it again, Roman." He flashed the flashlight so that it shone on Roman as he leaned forward pressing down on a board, producing the sound again. "Right now it's just my weight. But you take the water coming off the pipe and combine that with the wind coming in through this broken window.." He shrugged and moved back to stand by Virgil. "The boards rubbed together as they expanded. It was heard all throughout the house because or the pipes, which link to the radiator." 

"So," Terrance started. "This place isn't haunted." 

Virgil shook his head with a gentle smile. "No, it rarely is. There's almost always a rational explanation for these things." 

\------

Patton took some iron supplements as he inspected another bruise along his collarbone. He sighed and turned to go back to his room and shivered. He frowned and grabbed his fluffy sky blue rope and pulled it on, tying it tightly around his waist. He began folding laundry, the small radio sitting in the corner playing some of his favorite songs as he went through the task calmly. He frowned as he heard running footsteps and small giggles out in the hallway. He turned and shut the radio off before walking to the doorway. 

"Kiddos?" He called as he stepped out into the dark hallway. "What are you doing? It's way past your bedtime." Patton pushed his glasses up his nose and he inspected that hall and noticed no one. With a frown, he checked each room only to find that every kid was in bed. He let out a sigh. "My mind must be playing tricks on me." 

A loud crash reverberated throughout the house and Patton raced to the railing to find all the pictures hung up along the stairs had fallen from their spots and lay at the bottom of the stairs with shards of glass littering the wood stairs and floor. Patton's eyes widened as he heard more running footsteps and giggles. He carefully moved his way down the stairs, careful to keep the glass away from his slippers. The clock ticked anxiously as he stepped into the living room and clicked on a lamp. Moving through the hall and past the basement door to check the kitchen, a creaking sound caused Patton to freeze. The door to the basement creaked open slowly behind him. 

Patton turned his head slowly as he was drenched in an ice cold fear. He crept over to the door and quickly flipped the light switch. He glanced down the stairs and felt his heart race as he saw no shadow indication any physical being. He stepped back and held the door and prepared to slam it shut. "Whoever's down there, I’m locking you in no-" Patton felt someone shove him forward. He hit the wall and tumbled down the stairs as the door slammed shut. He landed on the hard floor with a grunt. He peered around the lit basement through cracked lenses with fear. No one was there. What was going on? Was he going crazy?

A small ball shot out from a pile of furniture and bounced towards Patton. He wasted no time in scrambling up the stairs as the light bulb burst. He pressed his back against the wall but remembered Logan leaving a box of matches somewhere on the top stair. He felt around and found them, he lifted the small cardboard box with shaking hands and pulled out a match and struck it on the side. A small light flared up in the darkness, leaving most of Patton's line of sight in pitch black shadows. 

"Hey," a small breathy voice called. Patton froze, the flame flickered as his fingers whole violently. Giggles sounded."Wanna play hide and clap?" Out of the corner of Patton's eye, he noticed a pair of arms reach out beside him and clap twice. Patton screamed and dropped the match as it flared out and turned to pound on the door with tears streaming down his face. "HELP! HELP ME! PLEASE!" 

\-----

Elliot awoke to the sound of thumping from across the room. They sat up and looked up to see Kai, banging their head against the door. Elliot sighed and climbed out of bed. They walked over and bent down and waited until their siblings head was away from the doors to the wardrobe. They slid their hand over and caught Kai's forehead and prevented it from hitting the doors again. "Okay, Kai," they whispered as they began to gently lead their sibling over to the bed slowly. "Okay, come on. You can sleep here tonight." Elliot began tucking Kai into the bed only to freeze as the doors to the wardrobe thumped again. Elliot turned around slowly and watched as the doors opened slightly, then shut again. They bit their lip, wondering if they were seeing things. They cautiously made their way forward, inching closer to the big wooden closet slowly. 

Behind them, Kai slowly sat up. Elliot yanked the doors to the wardrobe open and searched through their clothes hanging inside. There was no one inside. They frowned and tried to convince themselves that it was just their imagination. They whirled around as they heard a gasp and noticed Kai sitting up and staring up toward the ceiling. "Kai? What is it?" They whispered. Kai raised their arm and pointed at something above the wardrobe. Elliot's face twisted into apprehension as they turned slowly and fought against their instants telling them to run or not look. They looked up and saw this woman in a dirty white gown and ragged dark hair. Their eyes widened as the face of the women split with a malevolent grin. Elliot and Kai screamed and the woman screeched and leapt off the top of the wardrobe.  

\-----

Logan climbed out of his car after a long week of work. He stopped as he heard a loud, shrill scream as it echoed across the yard. He dropped his things as he looked up at his house and raced inside. The first thing he noticed was the door to the basement rattling and the frantic sounds of his husband muffled by the wood. He hurriedly opened the door and Patton tumbled forward. The two parents wasted no time in flying up the stairs towards the frightened shrieks of their children. They barged into Elliot's room to find them thrashing violently on the floor as if something was attacking them. Logan and Patton raced to their child's side and tried to calm them as Kai and the other children raced into the room. 

"What is going on here?" Logan called frantically, trying to find out what could have possibly caused his husband and two of his children to be scared out of their wits. 

\------

It had been a few weeks since Logan had come home to find his husband locked in the basement and two of his children being attacked by an unseen force. Since then, the family has all moved into the living room. The doors across the living room that led to the parlor have been tied shut. After countless sleepless nights caused by the doors banging all night in threes, they had to find a way to prevent them from continuing. The house has grown colder. No matter what Logan does, nothing keeps it warm. Patton and Logan were reaching the point of breaking. 

Now, the two sat on the couch watching over their children as they slept and scouring the internet for anything that could help them. Soon, a link stood out to them. They clicked it and were taken to a nearby university's website. Logan quickly skimmed the page and found that it was advertising a lecture for a couple of professors who taught about the supernatural. Logan glanced at Patton. "Well, we know they most certainly are not homophobic," he whispered as he held his husband close to him. Patton nodded. "Yeah, that would definitely be good." 

Logan pressed a kiss to Patton's temple before looking back at the page. "It says here they help with hauntings and such."

Patton hummed. "Maybe we can ask them for help?" 

"Their next lecture is tomorrow. I can take off work so we can go, if you'd like." 

"What about the kids?" 

Logan frowned. "I see what you're saying. I don't want to leave them here alone either. Maybe, maybe we can take them to a friend's?" 

Patton leaned his head against Logan's shoulder. "Yeah, I think that'll work. Gosh, I hope this will help." 

Logan blinked tears out of his eyes, trying to keep himself together for Patton. "I know honey, I know."

\-----

"Fear is defined as a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or eminence of danger," Roman spoke as he handed Toby a CD to put into the computer.  "It doesn't matter if its a ghost, a spirit, or entity, they all feed on it." Toby turned on the projector and a video appeared on screen showing an exorcism. "Take Maurice here. He was a French-Canadian farmer who had nothing but a third-grade education. After he was possessed, he spoke some of the best Latin I have ever heard. He even sometimes spoke it backwards." Roman bit his lip and cast a glance at Virgil who glanced at their students and shrugged. 

"He had been molested and tortured repeatedly by his father. It made it easier for a dark spirit to make its home in this man and possess him." 

On screen, the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he shook violently and sweat drenched his hair. "If you look into his eyes, you'll see him tearing blood," Virgil told the students. Onscreen, an image of Virgil patting the sweat off the man's face appeared as the camera panned over to catch sight of Virgil and Roman assisting in the exorcism. The man onscreen pulled his shirt up and upside down crosses seemed to push out from the inside. "And, like that," Virgil pointed to the man's stomach. "An upside down cross began to appear from within his body." 

The video ended. "Toby, can you hit the lights?" Roman asked. The lights turned on and Virgil and Roman turned back to their students. "Any questions?" 

A student in the front raised their hand. "Do you perform the exorcism personally?" 

Roman shook his head. "I'm not authorized, so no. But I've assisted on many. You see," 

Virgil glanced as Roman continued. "An exorcism can be extremely dangerous, not just for the victim, but for everyone else in the room." 

Another student raised their hand. "Yes?" Virgil asked, trying to hide the fact that he was feeling a little off. 

"What happened to Maurice?" 

Virgil's eyebrows drew together. "He tried to kill his wife but shot her in the arm instead. Then he turned the gun on himself."

"Maurice had a horribly troubled life," Roman picked up after his husband. "Not even an exorcism could bring him back."

"And that brings us to the three stages of demonic activity," Virgil started as he lifted the pull down screen to reveal three words written down on the board. "Infestation, oppression, and possession," he announced as he pointed to each. 

"The infestation, that's the whisperings and footsteps. The feeling of another presence which will grow into oppression," Roman explained. "The second stage. This is where the victim, who is usually the most psychologically vulnerable, is targeted by an external force. It'll break the victims down and crush their will. Once they're in a weakened state, it leads into the final stage, possession." 

In the back of the class, two men shared a glance as fear settled into their guts. 

\------

"Hey, Roman! Virgil!" Toby called as he jogged up with two men beside him.

Roman turned around and stopped packing their things into their car. "Yeah?" 

"These two men here want to talk to you."

Virgil watched the two carefully as Toby left. "How can we help you?" He asked gently. The two men shared a glance and Virgil noticed how tightly they held each other's hands. 

"There's something terrible in our house. Could you two come take a look?" 

Roman froze. A case. He didn't know if it was real or not but the fear that something might happen to Virgil again seeped into his bones. "You know, its, uh, getting kind of late and we really need to be getting home."

The taller one, who wore glasses and tie shook his head. "No, Sir, I don't think you understand."

Roman sighed. "We do, there's normally a rational explanation-" 

Virgil noticed the shorter one looked like he was on the verge of tears. "We have six children who are petrified. We're so afraid that it wants to hurt us."

"You have a child, wouldn't you do anything you could possible to protect them?"

"Please, at least take a look?"

Virgil nodded. "Of course we will. 

Roman shot a glance at Virgil.  _ What? Virgil no.  _ But Roman knew that there was no stopping Virgil once he heard there were children involved. "Of course we will," he conceded. 

The two men's faces lit up with hope. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much." 

Roman nodded with a smile. He just hoped nothing happened to his husband. He couldn't let him get hurt again. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?

**Author's Note:**

> There we are, hope you like it.


End file.
